The UPA Government, under attack for seeming ineffective in the face of terror, for the first time has acknowledged the need for new counter-terrorism initiatives, including strengthening the existing law and introducing fast-track courts.

Before a two-hour emergency Cabinet meeting late tonight that discussed such measures, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, speaking at the conference of Governors at Rashtrapati Bhavan today, had set the tone.

In an apparent rebuttal of the BJP charge that vote bank politics was the reason Congress was soft on terror, Singh said: “The public debate on the issue of terrorism has, unfortunately, tended to get driven by politics, and has centered on certain laws enacted or repealed by Governments of different political persuasions...Our Government has no fixed, inflexible or ideological view in this regard.”

Singh went on to announce: “We are actively considering legislation to further strengthen the substantive anti-terrorism law in line with the global consensus on the fight against terrorism.”

This was echoed in the Cabinet meeting which discussed possible amendments to the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act to include stronger provisions. There was, however, no detailed discussion on the Moily committee’s recommendation of a tougher POTA-like law although most Ministers were in favour of accepting the recommendation relating to an increase in the remand period.

NCP chief Sharad Pawar sought to know from Home Minister Shivraj Patil why the UPA government was not clearing GUJCOCA, which was modeled on MCOCA. In his defence, Patil claimed GUJCOCA was more “draconian” than POTA.

... contd.